Who is the elusive Birchbeer? But, perhaps more important, do we really
want to know? Almost anybody in the Blackmar Diemer community has heard of Birchbeer, the 2500+
devotee who appears and disappears on the Internet Chess Club.
When he logs in, fans of his games will drop whatever they are doing to observe the great man and
his games.

The ICC regualrly offers master class players free membership in the club in
return for publicizing their presence. Birchbeer, however, chooses not to be identified. He clearly
states in his notes that he wishes to remain anonymous. Speculation is rampant about who this
master of the gambit might be. Tom Purser, who's Blackmar Diemer Gambit World is the vanguard of
the opening professes ignorance, though he will occasionally relate a few of the myths of
Birchbeer's identity.

Ask any BDG player on ICC and they can tell you two or three possibilities.
But, in short, nobody knows, or those who do ain't talking. I'm not going to recite the half
dozen or possible identities I've heard on the outside chance one of them is right. I don't want
to unmask the great master and force him into further obscurity. I want to continue to enjoy his
games and share a few with you.

Our selection will start with two games in the Euwe Defense to the Blackmar
Diemer just to get going. The final game in the showcase is Queen's Pawn game illustrating well
the nasty complications that can occur when a strong a BDG player is denied his favorite opening.
Enjoy!

Tom Purser in "BDG World" Serial 76 (1997):
Who is Birchbeer? He appears to know BDG theory well. Could a careful study of his choice of lines
offer some clue to his identity?

According to informations by Timothy Sawyer (1999) "Birchbeer" is an International
Master and played in ICC server from 1994 till '96... here a little
collection of several games,
even against grandmasters!

Tim Krabbé in "Chess Diary" on March 7th 2001:
Birchbeer remains the most enigmatic strong player on ICC. He was a very early member (in their
database there are games from 1994 by him), and in the early years, he was continually among the
best 10 or 20. He played a very imaginative, often brilliant chess. His preferred time control
was 2 14, only varying to 2 19 and 4 15 and the like. In his notes, he complained about his bad
connection, and the fact that he couldn't use timestamp (I think at one time he even said he
couldn't use an interface and had to make his moves on a real board.).
He doesn't play anymore; his last games are from August 1998. The last time he logged on was in
April 1999. But the account still exists. Nobody, outside ICC, knows who he is. In the last line
of his notes, which are still there, he says: "Sorry, I prefer to be anonymous".

Lev Zilbermintz via e-mail in UnorthodoxChessOpenings@yahoogroups.com on Jan. 9th 2005:
"McGrew told me that 'Birchbeer' was actually someone using an early version of Fritz.
He said that there was no evidence that Birchbeer was an IM. Apparently one of the early ICC
operators told others that he was an IM, and they did not check. Then, when in '99, new procedures
went into effect, B. left of his own free will. Computers were supposed to be labelled (C) but
they were not in the old days. McGrew says that after new procedures went into effect, B. left
b/c it would have been an embarrassment to him if people knew he used a computer to help him.
[...]"